Two Years
by snapple79
Summary: Sam goes undercover and leaves Andy behind. What happens when he returns?
1. Chapter 1

Sam goes undercover and leaves Andy behind. What happens when he returns?

For this story, episodes 2x11, 12 & 13 didn't happen. Sam went undercover like he did at the end of 2x10, and Sam and Andy never had a chance to tell each other how they felt. Thanks for reading my newest story! Please let me know what you think and leave a review. :)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"_The minute I decide to tell Sam about my feelings, he's gone, like magic, really mean magic," Andy said as she and Chris were walking down a street on patrol. _

_Chris didn't have a chance to respond before a man and teenager ran past them. After catching up to them they realized the man was priest simply trying to help the young man._

"_You know it's bad when you can't believe a priest," Chris said to Andy._

"_Don't believe in me, brother. Save it for the man upstairs. God see's the big picture and like it or not he has a plan for all of us," the priest said._

"_Yeah, well, if I'm living god's plan, you can let him know his timing's off, way off," Andy replied._

#########################

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Andy's hand reached out, waving furiously until it came into contact with her alarm clock, hitting the button that would stop the incessant beeping. She reluctantly rolled over and finally opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. _How is it morning already?_ she wondered. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, got up and padded down the hall to the kitchen. Coffee, she needed coffee. She turned the coffee pot on and threw a couple pieces of bread in the toaster. As she tapped her nails on the granite countertop waiting for her coffee to be made, Andy decided she really needed to get one of those instant coffee makers, the ones with the little pods. Then she wouldn't have to stand there waiting every morning for a full pot of coffee to be made. Plus, the pods made individual cups and she wouldn't end up throwing half a pot down the drain.

When the coffee and toast were finally ready, Andy quickly ate her breakfast before showering and getting dressed for the day. She grabbed her phone and duffel bag as she headed out the door of her condo. Andy was lost in her own thoughts as she made her way to the station and was surprised not to see Traci in the locker room when she got there. As she walked through the station, out of the corner of her eye, Andy saw Traci and Jerry leaving an interrogation room. So, that's where her friend had been. Andy loved what Traci and Jerry had. They were so in love. She was happy for her friend, even if a hint of sadness crept through her heart as she ached for what they had.

Andy walked into the parade room and took a seat next to Dov on a table in the back of the room. They had long since abandoned the chairs in the front of the room and a new batch of rookies started occupying the seats six months earlier. Every so often for more than two years Andy would take her seat in parade and glance toward the door, hoping upon hope that Sam would once again walk through. She was always disappointed. Today wasn't one of those days though. She was having a good morning and too busy laughing at one of Dov's stories to sulk. They quieted down as Frank entered and stood at the front of the room, but Andy turned toward the rear door as she saw Oliver sneaking in just as Frank started to speak. She was about to direct her attention to the case Frank was informing them about, but it was a second figure entering behind Oliver that caught her eye. He looked the same. Well, maybe a little thin. And he had his scruffy undercover look going on. But he hadn't really changed. He looked like the same old Sam.

He'd been watching her before he entered the room. He saw her sitting in the back of the room in front of the window the moment he turned the corner into the hallway. Her braid dancing lightly on her back, her fingers tucking hair behind her ear. Even if her voice hadn't traveled down the hall, he would have known she was laughing by the movement of her body. He hesitated, his feet stuttering as they moved down the hall. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. He wasn't required back, didn't need to be here for another three days. Maybe he should have slipped out the back door, gone home and ignored the pull to see _her_. His feet betrayed his head and continued to move him down the hallway and into the parade room.

He was back. It wasn't an illusion. It wasn't a dream. Andy gripped the edge of the table so hard her knuckles turned white and she sat completely still watching him enter the room. She suddenly wondered why people always said 'everything happens for a reason.' Because she'd really like to ask the universe why it threw Sam at her more than four years ago only to tear him from her world without any warning two years later. She hadn't heard a word from him in more than two years, and with the exception of some rumors four months after he left, she hadn't even heard anything about him. He disappeared one night and even if she didn't want to admit it, a part of Andy went missing with him.

"Let's give a warm welcome back to Officer Swarek," Frank said, interrupting Andy's thoughts.

Applause erupted and Sam was shaking lots of hands, getting pats on the back from old friends, but Andy couldn't move. She was frozen. As the room quieted down again, Sam spoke for the first time. "I'm not officially back yet. Haven't slept in 36 hours, so I'm looking forward to a hot shower and a warm bed." His eyes fell to Andy for the first time since he walked in the room and he saw the shock in her eyes. She was the only reason he stopped by parade after his debrief. All he wanted was sleep, but the need to see her was stronger. He was sure she hadn't given him a second thought in all these years, had probably met some wonderful guy, but still, the need was there to just see her with his own two eyes.

Frank's voice tore Sam out of his thoughts. "Alright, alright, let's get back to business." Frank finished briefing everyone on the important news of the day, but Andy heard nothing. Everything had gone silent except for the shuffling of Sam's feet as he walked out. He snuck out of the room without anyone noticing, except Andy of course. She noticed him leave, noticed his every move, his every twitch, his every breath from the moment he walked in.

When Andy felt a sharp nudge in her ribs as Dov elbowed her, she realized parade was over. Ignoring Traci calling her name, Andy left the room with one destination in mind. She walked through the open door of the men's locker room and saw Sam rummaging through his locker.

"Sam." The word came out as a sigh and Andy had no idea what to say next. She couldn't believe he was standing in front of her. Millions of scenarios crossed through her mind when he left, some horrific, some fairytale-like. She missed patrolling with him, trying to persuade him to let her drive, sharing stupid jokes nobody else would understand. She missed him always being there. When she killed a bank robber during a standoff, she sat in front of his locker for hours hoping he'd appear out of nowhere to tell her everything would be okay. Oliver had tried to talk to her, but everyone knew that wasn't who she needed. Andy had thought about him the entire day when she and Chris transported a prisoner from Sudbury, remembering the last time she had taken the trip…with Sam.

Sam looked over at Andy, his eyes taking in every inch of her. His throat suddenly felt very dry and he swallowed to try and regain his voice. All he could muster was saying, "Oliver brought my truck to the station, but I can't find the damn keys." Keys to his truck. It was a stupid thing to say. But Sam left to get Andy out of his head. He couldn't return just to put himself back in the same heartbreaking situation. He never should have walked into parade. He should have taken the next three days to get his mind right, figure out how best to avoid her once he got back.

"More than two years. You just disappeared. How could – " Andy was interrupted when Oliver walked in, calling out for Sam.

"Sammy, I forgot, I have your keys." The last of his words fell to a whisper when he saw who else was in the locker room.

"Yeah, thanks Oliver," Sam said, catching the keys that his friend tossed over to him.

Andy cursed fate again as Chris joined the locker room party. "Hey Andy, I was wondering where you were. Ready to go? Jerry wants us to check up on an informant of his," he said, oblivious to what was going on.

Andy let out a deep breath. She looked at Sam and decided to do what he did two years earlier. She left without saying another word.

Sitting in the cruiser with Chris, Andy stared out the window thinking what an obvious fool she was for holding onto hope that Sam ever cared for her. He had left without a word and now all he wanted was to get his truck and go home. She blinked back tears. She was not going to cry, not here, not now. Later. She'd cry later when she was alone, when no one could laugh at her for being so naïve.

* * *

Sam pulled up to his apartment. It looked so foreign to him. His cover apartment had been better than most of the ones he'd lived in, but there was nothing like being home. He opened the door and turned on the lights. Sarah had done a wonderful job checking up on his place. It was clean and didn't look like it had been left abandoned for a couple of years.

He brought the bag of groceries he picked up on his way home to the kitchen and unpacked everything. Walking into the living room, he grabbed his phone before plopping down on the couch. Sarah had been checking his voicemail, saving messages she thought he'd want to hear, but none seemed important until he heard Andy's voice.

"_Hey, uh, look I just wanted to say that I, I know that I've got a plan, ya know. And it's a great one. But screw it. Screw the plan because I don't want to save the good candy for later anymore, ya know. I want to drink the champagne now and...Okay, you've got three weeks, right? So, let's make'em count, starting tonight. I'm coming over."_

Sam listened to the automated voice telling him when the message was left, the night he went undercover. He hit a button on his phone to replay the message. Once. Twice. Three times. He fell asleep listening to her tell him he was the good candy.

* * *

"You okay Andy? You've been quiet all day," Chris asked as they headed back to the station near the end of their shift.

"I'm fine. Just surprised to see Sam back after all this time," she replied.

"Yeah, I thought he was gone for good. Never knew he was helping to bring down one of the worst criminals in Toronto," Chris said, repeating a rumor Dov shared at lunch.

"What? Who did he bring down?" Andy asked, curious as to what Sam was doing during the time he'd been gone.

"Some guy named Jamie Brennan. The guy was into serious torture, killing a bunch of people in really horrific ways," he replied, pulling their cruiser into the station parking lot.

"Chris, do you mind handling the paperwork tonight? I'll make it up to you, I promise. I just need to get out of here," Andy said as they walked into the station.

"Yeah, no problem Andy. Call me if you need anything." Chris knew Andy was having a hard time with Sam being back, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Andy thanked him before hurrying off to the locker room to change.

When she got home, Andy pulled on her comfy pajamas and padded into the kitchen to find something to eat. She pulled out a leftover casserole her dad had dropped off the day before and waited for the microwave to heat it up.

She was curled up on the couch, finishing dinner when there was a knock at the door. Andy figured it was Chris checking up on her, or he'd called Traci and she was there with a tub of ice cream. They could read her like an open book when it came to Sam. She swung open the door without looking through the peephole. "I'm fine. You really didn't need to – " Her words trailed off as she saw who was standing in front of her.

"Can I come in?" Sam asked.

Andy moved out of the doorway and waved her arm in an invitation to enter.

"Andy, we need to talk." She was ready to ignore whatever he came to say and get him to leave as quickly as possible, but the way he said her name made her melt. She missed hearing his voice.

"Have a seat," she said, motioning to the couch as she sat down. He followed her and sat down, but kept his distance.

"I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye." Sam didn't know where to start, but an apology seemed the place to begin.

"Me too."

Sam took a deep breath. Okay, so she wasn't going to make this easy for him. "I didn't think we had a chance. I thought the space would help." Andy remained silent, but he saw a glisten in her eyes as he spoke. "I never got your message. Never knew you thought of me as the goody candy," he said smiling.

Andy furrowed her eyebrows confused. She didn't know what Sam was talking about.

"The good candy, the champagne. The message you left the night I went under. I never got it…until today," he explained.

It suddenly all came rushing back to her. Leslie dying, her ridiculous need to feed a jerky cat, calling Sam, knocking on his door, falling asleep on his stoop. And then she remembered the deep sadness that followed when she realized Sam had disappeared. Tears escaped her eyes, rolling slowly down her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I, I would have stayed," Sam said quietly.

Andy wiped the tears away. "You would have?" she asked dumbfounded.

"Yes. I left because…" Sam rubbed a hand across his face. "Because I thought there was no hope…for us."

Andy pulled her feet up on the couch and rested her chin on her knees. "What happened that night?"

"Boyd came, told me I was going under early. I only had time to leave a message for Frank before I was out the door. I didn't think I had anything, or anyone, to stick around for, so I didn't argue," he replied.

"And all this time…?"

"I was making friends with Jamie Brennan. Getting close enough to get him on some old murders, trap him for smuggling drugs and guns. It lasted longer than I thought it would," he said honestly.

"I don't know what to make of all this. You don't know how many times I, um – you know, it was just a hard couple of years not knowing what happened," Andy said, not ready to admit her feelings.

Sam could tell Andy was being guarded with her emotions, likely afraid of being hurt again. Being hurt by him again. He took it as his cue to leave. "I know. I just needed you to know. I would've stayed." Sam slowly got up and walked toward the door. Andy followed and reached around him to grab the door handle. She closed her eyes as she inhaled and Sam's musky scent filled her nostrils. When she opened her eyes, Sam's face was inches from hers. She let her hand drop from the door knob and stood up straight, still facing Sam.

"Stay," she whispered.

Sam's lips curved up in a small smile. "Okay."

"Look, I don't know, I'm not sure. Um, I just." Andy sighed, not sure what she was trying to say. She decided to be honest. "I've missed you."

Sam leaned in toward Andy, but caught himself before kissing her. He didn't even know if she was seeing anyone, if he was intruding in her life after all this time. He stepped back and coughed to ease his anxiousness.

"Want a beer?" Andy asked, heading for the kitchen. Hearing Sam answer in the affirmative, she grabbed two from the fridge and came back to the living room. Finding Sam already back on the couch, she handed him one of the beers as she sat next to him, inching slightly closer than she'd been earlier in the evening.

Sam took a swig of his beer as Andy got comfortable on the couch, watching as she tucked her feet underneath her and leaned her side into the back of the couch to face him. "How, uh, what have you been up to?" Sam asked.

"You know, the usual. Working a lot. Helping my dad stay sober," she replied. _Thinking of you_, she added silently.

Sam glanced around the room as he took another swig of beer. His eyes focused on various photographs of Andy with her friends, with her dad. When he saw one of Oliver cooking hamburgers on a grill, with Chris and Dov making faces behind him, Sam realized he missed many of his friend's fantastic barbecues. He sighed and looked down at the floor. "Look, Andy, I'm really sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have disappeared," he said.

"Yeah, but you did," she replied sadly. "I always thought you'd be there. Maybe I took it for granted. But you weren't always there. Did you know I killed another man? That Chris and I were stuck in a warehouse and thought we might die during a gunfight with a local gang? That I had no one to remind me to trust my gut and stop over thinking things?"

Her arm stiffened when Sam reached to grasp her hand in his, but relaxed as he rubbed circles on it with his thumb. "I wish I was there for all of that. But you have to understand. I thought you were moving on. Living life according to your plan. And I couldn't watch you be with someone else. I did it once, I couldn't do it again," he said.

The room was quiet as his words weighed heavily on Andy. "I know it's been more than two years, but…um, am I still the good candy?" he asked, lips curving into a small smile.

Andy giggled as he threw her words back at her. She'd never stopped thinking about him, caring about him in some way. It was one of the reasons she didn't have a boyfriend. She dated guys here and there, mostly ones Traci tried setting her up with, but she always compared them to Sam, even if it was just subconsciously. No one ever matched up, so after a couple of dates, she'd end things. Sam had always been her good candy, but she stared into his smoldering eyes as she thought about how to answer his question. She sighed. "You've always been the good candy. I just didn't always realize it."

They sat in silence smiling at each other for a few minutes.

"I really do want to know everything that happened to you while I was gone," Sam said.

"Will you tell me what you went through undercover?" she asked.

"I'll tell you what I can, if you really want to know," he replied.

"Two years is a lot to catch up on," Andy said, still smiling.

"I guess we'll have to spend a lot of time together then."

"I guess so."

Sam glanced down at his watch, realizing the time. "It's gotten late. I should go," he said standing up. Andy followed him to the door. "I'm heading up to my sister's tomorrow, but I'll, uh, call you, if that's okay?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good. When are you back at work?"

"Three days."

"Okay. Well, uh, goodnight."

Sam watched Andy as she fumbled with the doorknob and held in the chuckle burning his throat. He put his hand gently over hers and opened the door. He stepped into the hallway and turned around. "Sleep well, Andy," he said, before heading toward the stairs. When Sam was out of sight, Andy closed the door and leaned back against it. More than two years ago her life had been turned upside down in the worst way. Tonight it had been turned upside down again, but she couldn't help but smile and, for the first time in a long time, happily dream of what might come next.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, all the love for this story has really made me smile. :) Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing, as well as all the alerts and favorites. I'm having a lot of fun with this story, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please review, if you get a chance. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

**Chapter 2 **

Traci narrowed her eyes not believing how happy her friend looked as she bounded into the locker room. "What's got you so cheery this morning?"

Andy fought back a smile as she opened her locker. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play that with me Andy. Sam's back after two years and you're smiling like I haven't seen you smile in, well, two years," Traci said, closing her locker and straddling the bench next to her friend.

Andy rolled her eyes. She couldn't hide anything from Traci. "He may have come over last night, and um –"

"Did you and Swarek have sexy time?" Traci nearly yelled.

"No! Trace!" Andy hissed, hoping none of the other officers in the locker room heard the outburst. "I'm still mad at him, or well, I was mad at him. I don't know what I am."

"So…." Traci prodded.

"He came over, apologized. We talked. I've missed him okay. It was nice to see him," Andy said, hoping her friend believed her.

"Yeah, you just missed him. Uh huh. You haven't compared _every _guy to him. You haven't hoped _every_ day that he'd come back. You haven't -"

"Okay Trace, I get it. I've thought about him constantly for two years," Andy said, closing her locker. "He took a part of me with him when he left and maybe, I don't know, maybe him being back makes me feel normal again."

They walked to parade, smiling at Chris, Dov and Gail as they took seats in the back of the room. "So? What's going to happen with you two?" Traci asked.

"I don't know. It really hurt when he left," Andy whispered. "I don't want to shut him out, but I don't know if I can completely let him in again." The conversation ended when Frank walked in rattling off important tips for the day.

* * *

Sam was tinkering with the pipes under his sister's kitchen sink when his phone rang. Shifting to pull his phone out of his pocket, he hit his head on a pipe and muttered curses as he answered the call. "Swarek."

"Hey brother, how's it going down in St. Catherine's?" Oliver asked.

"Sarah thinks I'm her personal plumber, so instead of taking a few days of relaxation, I'm here working," Sam replied, feigning annoyance.

"You know, Zoe keeps reminding me about our leaky bathroom sink…" Oliver teased.

"Funny. Real funny. Are you calling just to harass me?"

Oliver chuckled into the phone. He missed teasing his friend while he was undercover. "No. I'm calling to let you know poker night is at my house next Friday and I've missed taking all your money, so you better be there."

It was Sam's turn to laugh. "I think it's _you_ who will be parting with his money, brother. I'll be there."

"Good. Good. So, uh, have you had a chance to talk to anyone, you know, since you've been back?" Oliver asked, tiptoeing around the subject he wanted bring up.

"I've talked to you and Frank. Figure I'll see everyone in a couple days when I'm back on patrol," Sam said as he tested his sister's faucet to see if it was still leaking.

"Yeah, well, uh, you might want to have a talk with someone. You know, someone who took it hard when you left," Oliver said, continuing to hint at who he was talking about.

Sam rolled his eyes, realizing where his friend was going with this conversation. "Trying to meddle in my love life Ollie?"

"Who said anything about a love life? My ears don't need to be hearing about that brother. I'm just saying you might want to have a talk with someone," he replied.

"Anything else you need to tell me or can I get back to this sink?"

"No. No. It'll be good to see you back at poker night."

They said their goodbyes and Sam stuffed his phone back in his pocket. He didn't want to talk about Andy with anyone until he knew what they were. And right now, they were both simply adjusting to him being back.

* * *

When Andy got home after shift, she decided to get some much overdue household chores done. She was doing laundry when her phone rang. Digging through the clothes she threw on her bed, she uncovered her phone just before the call went to voicemail. She couldn't help but smile when she heard Sam's voice on the other end. "Having fun with Sarah?" she asked.

"Not sure if fun would describe it. She's been taking advantage of my skills with tools and put me to work as her handyman," Sam said. He loved his sister and would do anything for her, but her "to do" list for him had quickly grown since he arrived at her house that morning.

Andy laughed. "But that's what brother's are for."

"Yeah. Anyway, she's in her studio painting, so I thought I'd call and say hi," he said. "What are you up to tonight?"

"I have an exciting night of laundry on tap," she joked.

"Well, if you can manage to talk and do laundry at the same time I thought that, you know, I could start seeing what I missed," he said. Andy was confused and when she remained silent, Sam continued. "I meant what I said. I want to know everything from the past two years. So, start with when I left."

Andy was dumbfounded. She didn't think Sam literally wanted to know everything that had happened to her. "Sam, that'll take forever."

"That's why we start now. Did you come over after you left the voicemail?" he prodded.

Andy shook her head in amazement, but started talking as she separated her laundry into piles to be washed.

_Andy walked out of Leslie's apartment with a huge grin on her face. She caught a cab, her leg bouncing excitedly on the way to Sam's. She jumped out of the car and bounded up the steps to Sam's door. When there was no response after her first knock, she knocked again…and again. She wondered where he could be. Andy glanced at her watch and noticed it was still early, so maybe he had stopped by the Penny. She sat down on the top step and leaned against the railing, pulling her coat tight to fight off the chill in the air._

_She started counting passing cars and apparently that was like counting sheep because the ringing of her phone woke her and Andy realized she had dozed off. "Hey Trace."_

"_Hey Andy, I was wondering where you were. You weren't at the Penny and then I didn't see you on my couch when I got home," Traci said, obviously worrying about her friend._

"_Sorry Trace, I, uh, I had somewhere I needed to go," she replied._

"_Noelle told me about Leslie. I'm sorry," Traci said._

"_Hey, was Sam at the Penny?" Andy asked._

"_No, haven't seen him," Traci replied. "Everything okay?"_

_Andy glanced up at the door to Sam's apartment. "Could you pick me up? I'm…I'm sitting outside of Sam's place."_

"_Of course, but why are you there?" Traci asked._

"_It's complicated. I'll tell you when you get here. It's just, he's not here and I'm getting cold and I don't see any cabs," Andy explained._

"_Okay. Look, I'm leaving right now. See you in a few minutes," Traci said before hanging up. _

_Andy pocketed her phone and stared up at his apartment. She finally shared her feelings with him, or at least with his voicemail, and now she couldn't find him. She was pretty sure the universe had it out for her._

_When Traci pulled up a short time later, Andy stood up and sighed, throwing one last glance back at Sam's apartment as she opened the car door._

"I wish I had been there," Sam said when Andy finished telling the story.

"Yeah, well, there's no going back," Andy said as she moved clothes from the washer to the dryer.

"No, no there isn't. So, what's next? I assume you got your mortgage like you planned since you're in that beautiful condo now," Sam said as he leaned back on his sister's couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. He knew she'd yell at him for that, but he decided to take the risk so he could be comfortable.

"Yeah, I got the mortgage, finalized on the condo a short time later. Everyone helped me move," Andy replied. Sam mentally kicked himself that he wasn't included in the 'everyone' that helped her. "You're turn. You said you'd tell me about the undercover op."

"That I did. What do you want to know?" he asked.

"I don't know, whatever you can tell me, I guess."

"Well, I was working in Brennan's warehouse, the legit side of his businesses. And just making friends with guys. It took a while. Took longer than I thought to get Brennan to trust me and invite me into the illegal side of things," Sam explained. "After I was in the inner circle, it was just a matter of getting enough evidence."

"Four months after you left Boyd was demoted back to being an officer at 27 Division and there was a rumor it had to do with you and the operation with Brennan," she said, her question implied in the statement.

"Yeah, well, Boyd almost got me burned. Gave me a boat seized in a high profile drug arrest. Luckily, my CI recognized the name of it before I said anything to Brennan," Sam explained.

"What? How could he be so careless?"

Sam shrugged even though Andy couldn't see him. He'd asked himself that question many times and hoped to ask Boyd himself one of these days. Andy couldn't believe what Sam had told her and realized she could have easily lost him because of Boyd. Instead of being gone two years, he could have been gone forever.

"That's not all," Sam continued. "Apparently, he covered up the murder of Brennan's wife and daughter and that's what prompted the guy to get back into his illegal activities."

"What?"

"Boyd's always colored outside the lines, but I never thought he'd go that far. He's lucky he was able to keep his badge," he said.

"Well, I'm glad you made it out alive, despite all of Boyd's stupidness," Andy said.

"Me too."

Three hours later, Andy lay on her bed with only a small lamp illuminating the room. Phone still attached to her ear, she laughed as she heard Sarah scold Sam for leaving his shoes in the middle of the living room. The sound coming through the phone was suddenly muffled and Andy figured Sam had put his hand over the mouthpiece. She could hear muffled voices before Sam's voice came through loud and clear again. "Sorry about that."

"What was that about?" Andy asked.

"Just my sister saying goodnight."

"I should let you go," Andy replied softly.

"No. I've enjoyed this. I've missed hearing your voice," he said.

"Me too. I mean, not hearing my own voice, but this, you, us," she said, stumbling over her words. Sam smiled, recognizing her nervousness.

"Sam, I'm really glad you called tonight," she said sleepily.

"I have a lot of time to make up for," he replied. When he didn't hear anything but her breathing, Sam thought she may have fallen asleep. "Andy?"

"Hmmm?"

"I should let you get to sleep."

"No, I'm not tired," she replied, fighting to stay awake, but losing miserably. As she started to doze off, her mind couldn't stop her mouth. "I don't ever, you know, want to go back, um, to what we were." She yawned loudly before continuing. "I want us. I love the feeling of us," she said, her words trailing off.

He knew she didn't really know what she was saying as she was nearly asleep, but the idea that she wanted there to be an 'us' made Sam smile. "Andy, go to sleep. Hang up the phone."

"Mmm, okay. Goodnight Sam."

"Goodnight Andy."

Andy put the phone on the night table and turned off the light before quickly falling asleep with thoughts of Sam in her head.

* * *

Sam spent the next day with his sister and headed back to Toronto after taking her out to an early dinner. After waving goodbye as his truck drove away, Sam pulled out his phone and hit speed dial #3.

"Hello?" Andy said out of breath.

"You okay there McNally?"

"Oh, hi Sam. Yeah, just got out of the shower, had to run down the hall to grab my phone. Hang on," she replied. Sam heard rustling on the other end of the phone and assumed she was putting on clothes. Sam swallowed as he thought about Andy in the shower, wet and naked and…he needed to push the thoughts out of his head so he didn't crash his truck.

"Sorry about that," Andy said when she picked up the phone again. "What's up?"

"Driving home from Sarah's. Thought you could keep me entertained," Sam replied.

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Well, you've done a good job already. All this talk of you and a shower." Even though Sam couldn't see Andy, he knew she was blushing.

"Oh, um, well, sorry, um, yeah. So, how was Sarah's?" Andy asked, stumbling over her words and trying to move the conversation in another direction.

Sam chuckled at her reaction. And as much fun as he was having, he thought better of pushing his luck and changed the topic. "So, where did we leave off last night?"

"You really want to know more? Life really wasn't that exciting, Sam," she replied.

"I told you. I want to know everything," Sam said. "I heard you were one of the rookies picked for the undercover training exercise. Did you have fun?"

"I guess. I mean I like going undercover, but Boyd hates me, so…Wait, how did you know I was picked?" He'd been gone for two weeks by the time she, Traci and Dov had been let loose without their phones, IDs and cash for the rookie scavenger hunt.

"Boyd may have let it slip when he boasted that Dov crushed you and Nash," Sam said.

Andy rolled her eyes. Of course Boyd would love that she lost. "Yeah, well Dov did his own thing while Traci and I went to this bar, the Alpine Inn, and played pool to get some cash. It was still kind of fun."

Sam's jaw dropped open when he heard her say she was at the Alpine Inn. It was the bar he and Brennan hung out at a lot while he was undercover. He wondered what would have happened if he'd been there when she showed up. Maybe it wouldn't have changed anything, or maybe it would have.

"Sam, you still there?" Andy asked when he remained silent.

"Uh, yeah, it's just, well, the Alpine Inn, it's –"

"I know. It's a shady place. But you told me about it once and it just seemed like the place to go to get some drugs," she said, cutting Sam off.

"No, it's not that. It's just, well, I spent a lot of nights sitting in that bar with Brennan," he said, still shocked they had been so close but never crossed paths.

"What? You were there?"

"Well, not the night you were obviously, but yeah, in the last two years I spent a lot of nights playing pool and drinking alongside Brennan and some other guys from the warehouse," he replied.

"Wow, that's…wow." Andy didn't know what to think. What if she had run into Sam? She could have blown his cover for the second time. Or maybe she could have found a way to tell him how she really felt. She shook her head. There was no going back. "So, was it a tough assignment?"

"At times. Brennan warmed up to me right away, but stayed tight lipped about his activities, so it took a while to get enough evidence to bring him down," Sam replied.

"I heard about the torture this guy was into. Glad you helped to lock him up," she said.

"We got him on a couple of those murders too. I could've gotten out six months ago, but to pin more than just a few drug charges on him I stayed," he explained.

"Congrats." As much as Andy missed him, she was truly happy for him that he made such a big arrest. Not only because he took a criminal off the streets, but it would help his career a lot too.

Sam debated asking Andy the next question on his mind. Maybe this was a conversation better had in person. But they were talking and maybe she'd feel more comfortable talking about it without him staring at her.

"You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, but well, the other night you mentioned having to shoot someone," Sam said, figuring he'd see what her initial reaction was before prodding further.

"Yeah, about eight months ago. You don't know how much I wanted, needed, to talk to you that day," she said softly. Andy thought back and began retelling the story to Sam.

_The division had been called to a bank robbery that had turned into a hostage situation. Hostage negotiators weren't having any luck speaking with the suspect, so police were trying to find a way into the bank. Andy, Chris, Dov and Gail were given the east side of the building. They were supposed to simply cover a side entrance, but soon found themselves on the front lines. Through the windows, which were only partially closed by curtains, they saw the suspect move toward them pointing a gun at a pregnant woman he held close to him. The four officers hid behind a car parked on the street with their guns drawn, but the robber knew they were there, looking straight at them as he pointed the gun at the woman's head. _

"_Sir, put the gun down now!" Gail shouted, hoping he could hear her through the glass._

"_Look," Chris said, pointing to a body lying on the floor inside the bank. "The security guard. Think he's still alive?"_

_Andy looked at the man. He was lying very still and decided he was either unconscious or the suspect had killed him. She gave Chris an unsure look. "I don't know."_

"_Focus," Gail hissed._

"_We are focused Gail. Assessing the situation," Dov replied, not appreciating the blonde's attitude._

_Before they could say anything else, shots rang out and glass shattered only feet in front of them. Andy looked inside the bank and realized the suspect had fired at them. It was only two shots and none of them had been hit, but Andy knew they had to end this situation quickly. The suspect was escalating and could kill a hostage at any moment._

"_Sir!" Andy screamed. "You know we have the building surrounded. Just put down the gun. Let the woman go."_

"_No!" He shouted. Several shots rang out again and this time Andy responded. She kept her eyes on the suspect as she fired her gun. Chris, Dov and Gail mimicked her movements, but Andy knew the moment the suspect fell to the ground she had shot him. Of the four of them, she had the best angle to hit him without hurting the pregnant woman he held. _

_She stood frozen as Dov and Gail ran into the bank through the shot out floor to ceiling windows. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her face to see Chris. She saw his mouth move but couldn't hear him asking if she was okay. As she slowly walked closer to the bank, she heard someone shout that the suspect was dead. She had killed another man. She expected it to get easier after the first time, but it didn't. Knowing this was her job should have made it easier, but it didn't. Seeing the relief on the faces of the hostages should have made it easier, but it didn't. She wanted to look up and see Sam there to comfort her, but he wasn't there._

_Oliver jogged up to where Andy and Chris stood standing just outside the bank. Chris gave Oliver a pointed look toward Andy to let him know she had been the one to shoot the suspect. Oliver had known the moment he turned the corner and saw the look on her face. It was only after the third time Oliver said her name that she realized he was standing next to her. "Diaz, why don't you take McNally back to the station," he suggested. _

_They traveled in silence back to the station and Andy quietly changed out of her uniform, making sure to hand her gun over to Frank for the standard investigation after a cop kills someone. She sat answering questions for nearly an hour about what had happened at the bank. She knew the drill. She'd be stuck at home for a couple days until the investigation was over and she was cleared to return to duty._

_Andy sat in front of her locker not wanting to go home. She thought about waiting for her friends, letting them convince her to go to the Penny. Without really thinking about it, she walked into the men's locker room and sat in front of Sam's locker. She thought back to when Sam had found her after she shot the kidnapper. He had known what to say, that she had no choice, that she trusted her gut. She hadn't wanted to talk, but he'd been there. He'd been there when she'd come knocking on his door and _still _didn't want to talk. But as the daylight turned to darkness and she stared at his locker, now she wanted to talk. Wanted someone who knew her so well, who knew the right thing to say. _

_Staring at Sam's locker, she wondered if he left his uniform or one of his black t-shirts. She thought about finding a way into his locker so she could bury her nose in his clothes and remember his smell. But she remained seated on the bench. Sitting and staring. And that's how Oliver found her when he returned from the scene of the bank robbery._

"_McNally. What are you doing here?" he asked, not only surprised to see her in the men's locker room, but shocked she hadn't already gone home._

"_Couldn't go home," she said, glancing up at him. _

"_It'll be okay. You did what you had to do," he said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder._

"_Yeah. Yeah. I know."_

"_Really, you should get home, get some rest. Look, I'll give Nash or Epstein the okay to leave shift early to take you home," Oliver offered._

"_I, um, I want to sit here for a bit," Andy replied, looking back at Sam's locker._

_Oliver reluctantly left Andy sitting in the locker room. From the way she stared at the locker, he knew nothing he said could make her feel better right now. There was only one person who could and he wasn't around. Oliver hoped she'd be able to get past this without his support because no one knew when he'd be back._

_All she could think about was that she needed him. She had missed him since he mysteriously left, but today she _needed_ him. She sat and sat, hoping he'd somehow appear out of nowhere if she stared at his locker long enough. She didn't realize how much time had gone by when Dov, Chris and Traci circled around her._

"_Come on. I'm taking you home with me," Traci said as Chris and Dov pulled their friend into a standing position. _

_Andy cried herself to sleep on Traci's couch that night. She wasn't sure if the tears were from killing a man, or missing another so much it hurt._

"Thinking about it again, I guess I wanted to listen more than talk that day. Hear you tell me it would all be okay. No one else saying it seemed to matter," Andy said when she finished telling Sam the story.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"Oliver was great. I mean, he really tried to help me. But I'm stubborn. I refused to believe you wouldn't pop up out of nowhere to make me feel better." Andy sighed and both sides of the phone were silent for a moment. "Can we talk about something else, something happier?"

"Okay," Sam thought for a second before continuing. "Were you excited to boss around the new rookies?"

Andy laughed. He always knew the perfect thing to say.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone reading this story! I think this chapter will make everyone very happy, with something you all have been waiting for. ;) And, reviews really make me smile, so leave one if you get a chance. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

* * *

**Chapter 3 **

Sam walked out of the locker room on his first day back. In a way it felt like he never left, but he had to admit, putting a uniform on again felt a bit odd. He walked into the parade room and leaned against a table at the back, taking in the new faces that joined 15 Division since he left. His eyes slowly drifted over to Andy, watching her braid bounce up and down as she enthusiastically laughed at something Traci said. He missed her laugh, her smile. Hated that she may have laughed less, smiled less because of him leaving.

Frank called the room to order and began with a few reminders mostly directed at the rookies. Sam was happy to hear he was partnered with Oliver for the day. Apparently, Frank was feeling generous, saving them both from having to deal with any of the rookies. Andy threw a quick glance back at Sam before walking out of the room to join Chris, who she was partnered with.

The day started out fairly quiet, but just after lunch Andy and Chris were called to a disturbance. When they arrived on scene they quickly discovered the disturbance was actually a small house fire. Andy called for backup and the fire department, while Chris pushed nosy onlookers across the street. The fire department arrived within minutes and Andy and Chris began interviewing the people gathered around the scene.

Sam and Oliver arrived soon after the fire department and Chris quickly filled them in on the situation. "We saw fire in the front room of the house and it started growing, traveling onto the porch before the fire department arrived. We've started interviewing the onlookers, but no solid leads yet," he said.

"Do we know why this was called in as a disturbance and not a fire?" Sam asked.

"Not yet," Chris replied.

Andy finished interviewing the elderly next door neighbor who called in the disturbance and tapped her notepad with her pen as she walked over to Chris, Sam and Oliver. "I've got something," she said when she joined the group.

"The neighbor over there saw the two occupants of the house fighting. From her vantage point, she didn't see the fire and couldn't hear the conversation, but she saw the man run into that empty building," she said, pointing to an old run down farmhouse about 50 yards behind the home they stood in front of. "I thought I'd go check it out."

"You can't go alone McNally," Oliver said.

"I'll go with her," Sam offered, not realizing how eager he sounded until Oliver shot him a look.

Andy pocketed her notebook as she turned and started walking toward the farmhouse with Sam at her heels.

"Do we have a description of the guy we're looking for?" Sam asked as they neared the building.

"Tall, maybe 6-feet, brown hair, skinny, about 30 years old," she replied. "Neighbor thinks he was wearing a blue or grey button down shirt and jeans. She thinks his name is Freddy."

Sam fought the urge to be a training officer. It was a long time since he had been that person for Andy, and they were pretty much on equal footing now. This was her lead, so he let her take charge.

They searched the first floor without having to say a word. After all this time they still knew each other's moves and could read each other's thoughts. Two years apart couldn't erase that. The crumbling farmhouse was void of any furniture, except for a broken chair in the corner of what was once a living room, and a few old rusted pots in the kitchen. They found an empty bathroom before walking through the dining room, and slowly approached the stairs after clearing the first floor. Andy looked up the stairs and back at Sam, silently asking if he was ready to search the second floor. He followed her gaze, glancing back at her before nodding. The only sounds were the creaking of the floorboards as their feet traveled the wooden stairs.

Just as they headed down the upstairs hallway, they heard a noise at the other end of the hall. When they got to where they thought the sound was coming from, they paused. They didn't know if the man had a weapon and figured surprise was their best option. Andy pointed at the door and Sam easily kicked it opened. Startled, Freddy turned around with his arms flying up above his head. "Freeze!" Andy and Sam yelled in unison as they entered the room.

"I didn't do anything. Don't shoot. I didn't do anything," Freddy blurted out.

"Then why are you hiding in an abandoned old house?" Andy asked, gun drawn.

"I, uh, I come here to think. Yeah, I like it here," he replied.

Sam rolled his eyes. "And I like doing paperwork," he quipped.

Andy snorted, but moved toward Freddy, grabbing his wrists and handcuffing him. Patting him down, she found a lighter and a wallet, which she handed over to Sam.

"Fredrick Martinez," Sam said, reading the man's driver's license. "You are under arrest for fleeing the scene of a crime."

Andy grabbed Freddy's arm and started walking out of the room.

"C'mon, let's get him back to the station and see why he wanted to burn his house down," Sam said.

Andy smiled at Sam as she walked by him. They made a good team and she was reminded how much she missed being his partner.

They walked back to where the cruisers were parked and Andy placed the suspect in her cruiser. She shut the door and turned around, finding Sam standing right in front of her. "Me and you. It's fun working with you again, McNally," Sam said, flashing his dimples.

Andy smiled back, a big toothy grin. "Driving fast, chasing bad guys, we're good at it…together," she said, before walking off to let Chris know she was headed back to the station with a suspect.

When Andy returned, Sam was leaning against the driver's side of the cruiser. She thought for a moment before pulling the keys out of her pocket and tossing them toward Sam. "You can drive," she said.

He caught the keys in mid-air. "You sure? If I remember correctly, you always begged to drive."

"Been a while since you've been in the driver's seat. Figure you need the practice," she smirked, before sliding into the passenger seat. Sam shook head and thought about how much he had missed this.

When they got back to the station, they booked Freddy and brought him to an interrogation room. It took a while, but eventually he broke. He and his girlfriend were in serious debt and he set fire to the house in hopes of getting the insurance money. When his girlfriend found out what he was doing, they got into an argument before he ran off. When Jerry joined in on the interrogation to get Freddy's official statement, Sam and Andy walked out of the room and paused outside the door.

"You were good in there," Sam praised.

"Thanks," Andy replied sheepishly. "You too."

"We make a good team."

"Two years, three months, 10 days." Andy's eyes flew wide open. She couldn't believe those words escaped her mouth.

"Huh?" Sam asked, perplexed.

"Nothing, never mind, nothing," Andy mumbled as a blush crept over her cheeks.

"McNally."

Andy closed her eyes, wishing she could rewind the last minute and keep her mouth shut. "Two years, three months, 10 days," she repeated quietly.

"And that means…"Sam prodded, having a good idea what she was talking about, but wanting her to say it.

"How long it had been since we worked together," she responded softly.

"Andy."

"Sam, don't. I shouldn't have said anything. It just – I just. I – forget it."

"Stop," he said, grabbing her arm so she couldn't run. "Don't brush it off. Talk to me."

"It just came out. I didn't mean to say anything. This," she said, waving back to the interrogation room, "reminded me how much I missed working with you." Andy pulled out of Sam's grasp and walked off in the direction of the locker room. Sam followed her and leaned against the locker next to hers as she took her vest off.

"Andy, we can't keep going in circles," Sam said, clearly frustrated.

"I don't know what you want from me. I want to be okay with things, but you were gone. For _two years_,_"_ Andy replied as she threw her vest in the locker. "I told you once that time and space don't work for me."

"So, be pissed at me. Yell at me. Get it out of your system." Sam knew him leaving and coming back had been hard on her, and it put this wedge between them. He wanted her to yell and scream if she needed to. He wanted her to get it out, so they could move forward.

"I don't want to yell at you, Sam. I just, I don't know what to do." Andy began to unbutton her uniform shirt, wanting nothing more than to just go home and hide.

Sam's lips curved into a smile as he thought back to a time when they'd been in a similar situation where Andy was stewing over anger and frustration. "I know what will help."

Andy narrowed her eyes, wondering what Sam had up his sleeve. "And what would that be?" she asked skeptically.

He closed her locker and took her hand in his. "Come with me."

Trusting him like she always did, she didn't question following him out of the locker room and through the station until they reached the training room. She suddenly knew what he wanted to do. "No, I'm not doing that," she said as Sam took off his uniform shirt and placed it on a chair.

He tossed her a pair of boxing gloves, which Andy easily caught. "Yes you are," he said. He kept his eyes on hers as he put a pair of gloves on. "Afraid you've lost your skill after a couple years?" he challenged.

Andy huffed out a breath before tossing her uniform shirt on the chair with Sam's and putting the gloves on. "I'm even better than I was back then," she boasted.

"Let me see what you've got," he provoked as he nudged her shoulder.

That comment resulted in a swift punch to his gut, leaving Sam out of breath for a moment. "You sure you want to do this?" Andy asked.

"Yup," he responded, as he caught his breath. "Gotta work that anger out of your system."

Her punches were harder, rougher than the last time they did this. But this is what he wanted, for her to release this anger. Because he knew they couldn't move forward until she did. And he wanted to move forward, to make up for lost time. Still, it saddened him to know the anger in her eyes was directed at him, was because of him. Last time, he'd been on the sidelines as her frustration grew from someone else. It was different knowing he was the cause. He wanted to hurt, to feel her punches, to wake up with bruises the next day. He wanted to physically feel the pain she felt inside, to transfer it from her to him.

They sparred for nearly 30 minutes, both working up a sweat and panting. Suddenly, mid punch, Andy tripped on the edge of the mat and tried to steady herself by grabbing Sam. Her gloves prevented that and instead she brought him down with her. He caught himself on his forearm so he didn't crush Andy as they went down. He remained still, hovering over her as they both lie on the mat breathing heavily. "Trying to tackle me again McNally?" he smirked.

"Um, the last time I looked, _you're_ the one on top of _me_," she smirked back. Andy closed her eyes and let her head fall back on the mat.

"We okay?" he asked, lowering his face closer to hers.

Andy opened her eyes so she could look directly at Sam. "Yeah. I don't want to waste anymore time," she responded. She lifted her face slowly so her lips could meet Sam's. The kiss was gentle and soft, and warmth traveled through Andy's body from her lips to her toes. They parted only when the need for air became too strong.

"Have dinner with me tonight," Sam said, flashing his dimples. "My sister sent me home with her famous lasagna."

"How can I pass up homemade lasagna?" she said, smiling.

"I knew the way to your heart was food," he teased, earning him a smack on his arm with her gloved hand.

Sam laughed as they both got up and removed their gloves. "Give me time to take a quick shower, okay?" she asked.

"I'll meet you at my truck when you're ready," he replied, as they walked back to the locker rooms.

* * *

Andy leaned back against the kitchen counter as Sam placed his sister's lasagna in the oven. "Do you want something to drink? Soda, beer, wine?" he asked.

"Wouldn't have pegged you for a wine guy," Andy said.

"I keep some around for special occasions," Sam replied, as he grabbed some plates and silverware.

"And this is a special occasion?"

"You agreed to have dinner with me when we weren't on patrol," he stated, as if it was the most obvious thing that this dinner was special. "Can you put these on the table?" Andy hadn't recovered from his previous statement, but took the dishes from him and set the table. He soon followed with the wine and two glasses. After pouring the wine, he handed a glass to Andy.

"Thanks."

"The lasagna should be ready soon," he said.

"Does Sarah send you home with food every time you see her?" Andy asked, sipping her wine.

"Usually she sends me home with leftovers, but when I return from deep cover she claims I've lost weight and complains I'm not eating healthy enough. So, she sends me home with huge dishes of food," he explained.

Andy smiled. "What a good sister."

"She has her moments," Sam said, smiling.

"So, with Boyd gone, Guns and Gangs must be dying to bring you over full-time," Andy said, a question implied somewhere in her statement.

"They've approached me. Coming off of two years living someone else's life, I'm not too eager to jump right back into another deep cover assignment," Sam responded. "And there might be more reasons for me to stick around now."

Andy smiled. She would never hold Sam back from something he loved, but she was happy he was thinking about not jumping right into another assignment that would take him away from her.

"I should check on dinner," Sam said and walked back to the kitchen. He returned with a steaming dish of lasagna and carefully cut pieces for Andy and him. They chatted as they ate, catching up and telling funny stories about themselves and friends. Andy felt relaxed and at home with Sam. The uneasiness of the first few days after his return forgotten, at least for the night.

"This was delicious. You have to thank Sarah for me. And, um, thank you for inviting me over," Andy said, blushing as she realized this – whatever this evening was – was better than most of her recent dates.

Sam smiled and began clearing the table. Andy insisted on helping, drying the dishes that Sam washed and putting them away in his neatly organized cupboards. Sam nudged Andy's hip with his as she was drying the last of the utensils. "What?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm glad you came over," he said. Andy bit her bottom lip and a shyness crept over her.

They walked into the living room and Sam headed to the couch, stopping when he realized Andy wasn't following him. He turned around and saw her fidgeting nervously with her hands.

Andy glanced at her watch. "I should go home."

Sam stepped forward so they were only inches apart. "I'll drive you," he offered, but neither of them made any attempt to move. He didn't want her to leave, but he also didn't want to push her into doing something she wasn't ready for.

Andy looked into his eyes and saw what he really wanted, the same thing she did. "Or, you could, um, ask me to say."

Sam stepped even closer, so they were chest to chest, hip to hip, toe to toe. "Stay."

"Okay."

Sam leaned down, bringing his lips to hers. Andy placed her palm on Sam's chest and slid it slowly up to cup the back of his neck. Sam's hands found their way to Andy's waist, his fingers brushing against the bare skin revealed when her shirt rose up. As the kiss deepened, Sam backed Andy up against the wall. He murmured "sorry" when her back hit the wall with a light thud, but felt her smile against his lips.

When Andy tugged at his shirt, he helped her pull it over his head and tossed it on the floor. He quickly grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head and letting it fall to the floor next to his. When Sam's lips found their way back to Andy, they met her lips only briefly before he placed kisses along her jaw and neck. Andy pressed her palms against the muscles in Sam's back, pulling him impossibly closer to her. As her nails lightly scratched along his shoulder blades, Sam's eyes shot open with a realization. He didn't want their first time to be right here on the floor of his living room, so he wrapped his arms around Andy and nuzzled his nose with hers as he pulled her away from the wall and walked backwards, leading her toward his bedroom.

* * *

Andy couldn't wipe the smile off her face if she tried – not that she even wanted to try. She was curled up against Sam, his arm holding her tight against him as they lay in bed.

Her finger circled a round scar on Sam's bicep. "What's this from?" she asked.

"Gunshot. Took one in the arm when I responded to a grocery store robbery," he replied.

She moved her hand to Sam's face, her fingers lingering over a small scar near the corner of his right eye. "And this?"

"Barbie."

Andy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Sarah and I got in a fight as kids and she threw her Barbie at me. That damn doll had some sharp plastic fingers," he explained and earned a laugh from Andy. Sam captured her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "These fingers, much softer."

His thumb brushed over a scar on the side of her index finger. "How'd you get this?" he asked.

"Broken glass when I was a kid. My dad was washing a glass pitcher and it slipped out of his hands, shattering," she replied.

"What about the scar on your knee?" Sam asked, surprising Andy that he noticed.

"Old basketball injury," she said. The back of her thumb brushed along a spot just below Sam's chest. "What's this one from?"

"Stabbed during an undercover opp," he replied.

"Were you made?"

"No. It was a drug deal gone bad. I got caught in the middle. I still took down the target though," he said, a proud smile forming on his face.

Andy began drawing shapes on Sam's chest with her fingers, but he could tell she was restless and maybe a little uneasy. He knew she had problems sleeping in other people's beds, having complained about it on more than one occasion. He didn't want her to leave, but didn't want to pressure her, give her a reason to run away from what they were becoming. "Just give me a little bit and I can take you home if you want," he said.

"Yeah, okay, thanks," Andy replied. She hated that she had trouble sleeping anywhere but her own bed. Honestly, she didn't want to leave Sam's arms. Deciding to relish in the moment before she ruined it by leaving, Andy snuggled closer to Sam, her head lying in the crook of his neck, her palm resting on his chest, her legs tangled with his. Sam could feel Andy smile and pulled his arm tighter around her, while his free hand brushed the hair off her neck and stroked the softness of it down her back.

Sun bursting through the curtains jolted Andy out of sleep. Disoriented, she blinked several times before realizing she was still at Sam's. She had fallen asleep in Sam's arms and slept through the night. Her lips curved into a smile as she turned her face to look at a still sleeping Sam next to her. They had shifted sometime during the night. Andy was now lying on her back with Sam curled up next to her, his arm draped protectively over her abdomen. She shifted onto her side so she could look at him and was caught by surprise when his hand pressed firmly on her back bringing her flush up against him.

"The gears in that head of yours are loud," he said, smirking as his eyes remained closed.

A blush crept on Andy's cheeks. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long, a minute maybe," he said. "I take it you like my bed." It was his unspoken way of bringing up the fact she slept through the night in _his_ bed. He tried not to be smug, but he was pretty damn happy about that.

"I think it might have been the company," she replied, her fingers dancing up and down his arm that was circled around her.

Finally opening his eyes, he looked deep into hers. "Good to know." He closed the distance between them, nuzzling her nose with his before kissing her.

* * *

Two days later, Andy walked out of the locker room early, like ridiculously early for her. Her friends had yet to arrive yet, so she made her way over to the coffee station and then decided to see if Sam was around. She walked into the parade room, finding Sam among only a handful of officers already there. She looked at today's assignments and a grin broke out across her face when she saw her name next to Sam's. She turned around and saw him smiling at her from the back of the room. Walking over, she sat next to him on the table. "Hey partner," she said, nudging his shoulder with hers.

"Morning. Hungry?" he asked, pointing his breakfast burrito in her direction.

"No, I'm good." Andy shook her head, but kept eyeing his breakfast. The toast she stuffed in her mouth on the way out the door hadn't really been filling.

Sam gave her a disbelieving look and picked up the other half of his burrito and handed it over. Andy hesitated, but took it as she smiled at him. They ate in silence for a few minutes, watching a couple more people filter into the room.

"Have any plans tomorrow night?" Sam asked as he crumpled the wrapper of his burrito and tossed it in a nearby trash can.

Andy thought for a moment. It was a night before two days off and she should have plans, but Traci was having date night with Jerry, and Chris and Dov were going to some concert they bought tickets for months earlier. "Not really," she replied, pulling off a bite of burrito and popping it into her mouth.

"Do you want to go out to dinner, maybe see a movie?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'd like that," she said. "Sam?" When she looked over at him, he could read her thoughts through her eyes. He knew she was worried they were doing things backwards, not following a plan. He wanted to ease her mind, take her mind off of plans and things happening a certain way.

"Wanna try being normal together?" he asked, flashing his dimples.

Andy looked at him like he had three heads. "We aren't normal."

Sam snorted. Not the response he expected. "Okay then, so let's just be us together. Don't worry about other stuff."

Andy grinned. He always knew what she was feeling and what she needed to hear. "I like the sound of that."


	4. Chapter 4

Another story comes to an end. This is the last chapter of Two Years. Hope you've all enjoyed it! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and alerts – I love seeing the response to my stories. :) Leave a review and let me know what you think of this latest chapter. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue.

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**Chapter 4**

_Six months later_

Andy and Traci re-entered her condo with more boxes. "You look happy," Traci commented as they placed the boxes among the growing pile.

"I am Trace, like really truly crazy happy," she replied, a huge grinning spreading across her face.

"It's a big step, moving in together," Traci said.

"I know and it just feels right."

"You deserve to be happy," Traci said, hugging her friend.

They were about to head back out to Sam's truck when they heard curses coming from the spare bedroom. They headed down the hallway and stood in the doorway to the room. "Everything okay in here boys?" Andy asked, looking at parts of Sam's bed and tools scattered around the room.

"Yeah, Jerry just dropped the headboard on my foot," Sam replied, feigning annoyance.

"You're the one who said to put it down," Jerry said.

"I didn't mean _on_ my foot!"

Andy and Traci burst out laughing and left their men to bicker with each other as they put together the bed. As they made their way back out to Sam's truck at the curb, Andy couldn't help but be excited. She and Sam were moving in together. She had always been a planner, but a year ago she couldn't have even imagined this would be her future. They were moving forward with their lives, lives they were sharing together. The first month after he'd come back had been tough. There were so many reminders that he'd been gone and it caused some arguments. But they had agreed to talk things out, to not let issues fester. It was hard, but it worked.

Andy thought back to the day they discussed moving in together.

_After months of dealing with the "your place or mine?" question almost nightly, and tiptoeing around the subject for a week, Andy finally knew they had to talk about the living arrangements, but there never seemed to be the right moment to bring it up._

_Andy walked into the living room to see Sam opening his mail. She watched him toss what looked like some type of agreement on the coffee table. "What's that?" she asked._

"_A new lease. Mine ends at the end of next month, so the landlord sent a new one over," he replied, continuing to look through the rest of his mail._

"_Oh." Andy plopped down on the couch next to Sam. _

_She decided to blurt out what she was thinking. "Wanna-move-in-with-me?" _

_She spoke so quickly, Sam wasn't sure he heard right. "What was that?"_

_Maybe this was a mistake. She should have kept her mouth shut. But it was out there, whether Sam clearly heard her or not. "I said, do you want to move in with me?" She looked at him hopefully, but bit her bottom lip in nervousness._

_Sam's lips slowly curved into a smile. "You wanna cohabitate with me McNally?"_

"_Well, uh, not if you don't want to. I mean it was, um, just an idea, you know with your lease being up and all," she said, shifting her eyes around the room so she didn't have to look at him. She felt embarrassed. Why did she say anything? _It was a stupid idea, _she thought._

"_Andy…" Sam grabbed her hand so he could tug her closer. As she fell into him, Andy placed a hand on his chest to steady herself. "I would love to live with you."_

_For the first time since the conversation started, Andy smiled. "Really?"_

"_Really."_

_She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard while he ran a hand gently up and down her back._

"_How'd I get so lucky to have you in my life?" Sam asked. _

"_I don't know, but when you find out, let me know," she said smirking. _

_Sam rolled his eyes, but nudged her nose with his affectionately. "You know how much I love you, right?"_

"_I do, because you tell me all the time," she replied before placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "I love you too."_

Back in her condo, Andy was re-organizing the pile of boxes when a knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. She pulled open the door to find the pizza guy with their dinner. "Here you go," she said, giving him the money and taking the pizza. "Thanks."

She closed the door and yelled down the hall. "Pizza's here!"

Sam and Jerry joined the girls at the kitchen table and grabbed slices of pizza. "Thanks McNally," Jerry said between bites.

"Thank you guys for helping us move," she replied, looking at him and Traci.

"Happy to help," Traci said.

"So, you ready to go back to the academy tomorrow Sammy?" Jerry asked.

"I'm older and smarter than I was the last time I walked through the halls of that place," Sam responded.

Andy snorted. "Older maybe. Smarter I'd question."

"Hey, you weren't even there," Sam said, nudging her shoulder with his.

"I'd have to agree with McNally," Jerry teased.

"You know, I could just pack my stuff back up and…" he deadpanned, looking at Andy.

"I'm kidding," she said, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Those soon-to-be-officers will learn a lot from you." She kissed him quickly on the cheek.

"What is it you'll be doing?" Traci asked.

"It's a once a month seminar on undercover training. Guns and Gangs thought it was the least I could do if I wasn't willing to commit to them full-time," he explained.

Andy looked over at him and smiled. Ever since he came back, Guns and Gangs tried to get him to transfer or commit to another deep cover assignment. He kept brushing them off or ignoring their calls, so Andy finally made him talk about it.

"_Sam, if you keep ignoring Detective Clark, he's just going to keep calling," Andy said as she sat next to him on his couch._

"_He's just going to try to convince me to go under again," he replied._

"_And?"_

"_I don't want to. I was gone long enough and I'm happy here. I'm happy with you," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. _

_Andy laid her head on his shoulder. "I heard him offer you Boyd's old job." She hadn't been eavesdropping, but she walked by an open office door while on shift the day before and heard the offer. She knew Sam would tell her about it when he was ready, but she was dying to know what he thought._

"_A desk job and lots of watching a wire. No thanks. I like it just where I am."_

"_Are you sure? I, um, don't want to, you know, stop you," she said, worrying her bottom lip._

"_You're not." He turned to face her and cupped her cheek in his hand. "Maybe down the line it'll seem fun again, but now I want to be right here." He leaned down to kiss her. "And, Clark might not just be calling about going under or the job offer."_

_Andy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What would he be calling about?" _

"_When I tried to say no to his offer, he asked me to teach a course at the academy about undercover work," he replied._

"_Sam, that's awesome!"_

"_Well, I _am _awesome."_

_Andy rolled her eyes. "You can teach these young officers so much. You should do it."_

"_Teaching, it's not really my thing."_

"_You're a great teacher. Look at all I've learned from you. You've helped make me the cop I am," she said._

"_Your skills are the reason you're a good cop. Not me," he responded honestly. He may have brought out her confidence, showed her what her best qualities as a cop were, but her copper skills were all hers._

"_But you taught me to trust my gut, follow my instincts and be a good partner," she said. "Just talk to him."_

"_Fine." Sam pulled out his phone to call Detective Clark._

_After a little negotiating, Sam agreed to teach a seminar once a month about the finer points of undercover work._

"_Look at it this way, there will be a lot of fresh paint to boss around," Andy teased, remembering what her father, and then Oliver, called the rookies._

* * *

Two weeks later at parade, Andy stood talking with Chris, as their rookies stood off to the side waiting to head out on patrol for the day.

"McNally. Observation room one, now," he ordered as he walked by them.

"Fitzgerald, finish any paperwork you have from yesterday. I'll come get you when I'm ready to leave," Andy told her rookie for the day before following Sam.

The moment she opened the door to the observation room, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. Startled, she stumbled and fell into Sam's arms. "Hey," he said, grinning as he backed her up against the wall.

"Sam! We could – stop that," she hissed as he placed kisses along her jaw. "We could get caught."

"Mmmhmm," he murmured against her neck. This was their thing. He'd pull her into a quiet room. She'd half-heartedly protest, and he'd keep kissing her till she gave in. _In 3, 2, 1…_

Andy framed his face in her hands and guided his lips to hers. Sam smiled against her lips. "Shut up," she mumbled playfully against his lips. She deepened the kiss as she ran her hands through his hair. His arms circled her waist and he pulled her closer before sliding his fingers under her vest.

After a few minutes, they broke apart and Sam rested his forehead on Andy's. "I'm pretty sure Frank is getting back at me for taking all his money at poker last week. Giving us both rookies two days in a row," he grumbled.

"They have to learn from someone," she said, her hands resting on his shoulders and fidgeting with his collar.

"I'd rather be partnered with my girlfriend," he replied, pulling her even closer.

Andy placed a chaste kiss on his Sam's lips. "Don't you know, absence makes the heart grow fonder?" she smirked.

"Funny," he deadpanned and returned the kiss. "Be safe out there."

"You too."

"Our rookies are bound to get into trouble if we leave them alone much longer," Sam said, slowly releasing Andy from his grasp.

"True. And someone's bound to come looking for us."

They left the observation room and walked back to where their rookies waited, brushing hands lightly before parting.

"Ready to go Fitzgerald?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm ready."

Andy rolled her eyes. She'd never get used to these rookies calling her ma'am.

* * *

A few days later, Andy heard a knock at her door and opened it to find Traci, Jerry and Leo. Before the door was fully open, Leo came running into the condo. "Aunt Andy!" he screamed as he barreled into her, wrapping his little arms around her legs.

"Hey buddy," she said, ruffling his hair as his face was pressed against her thigh. "We're gonna have lots of fun, aren't we?" His response was an animated nod of his head.

"Thank you so much for doing this. You don't know what it means to us," Traci said, dropping two bags on Andy's living room floor.

"We're happy to help. And you know I love Leo," she replied. Jerry had surprised Traci with a romantic getaway and Traci's mom was out of town, so Andy offered to watch Leo.

Traci crouched down to Leo's level. "Listen little man, you're going to be good for Andy and Sam right? Do everything they say?"

"Yes," he replied.

Traci hugged and kissed her son before standing up and leaning in so only Andy could hear. "It'll be good practice for little Swarek's running around," she teased.

Andy's eyes went wide and a blush quickly covered her cheeks. "Trace!" she hissed. "We just moved in together. Kids are not in the plan right now."

Traci smirked and slowly backed away toward the door. "Soon enough. Like I said, it's good practice."

"Good practice for what?" Sam asked as he walked into the room. "Hey Jerry. Nash."

"Nothing," Andy replied quickly. "Aren't you guys leaving?" she asked, glaring at Traci.

Sam noticed the blush that remained on Andy's face and made a mental note to find out what she needed practice with later. He was pretty sure it was a story he wanted to hear.

Traci and Jerry said their goodbyes, and Andy closed the door behind them before turning toward Leo. "So, little man, what do you want to do today?"

"Basketball! You promised we could play," Leo responded, jumping up and down.

"Okay, buddy. We can do that." Andy looked over at Sam. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," he said, grabbing his keys off the table near the door.

Andy got a basketball out of her closet and the three of them headed outside. They decided to walk the three blocks to a local park that had a huge playground and basketball courts. For a Saturday, the park was fairly empty and there was no one else using the basketball courts.

Leo looked up at the basketball hoop and got a sad look on his face. "It's so high. I'll never get up there," he pouted.

Andy was about to respond, but Sam beat her too it as he crouched down in front of Leo. "See that ball there," he said, pointing to the one Andy held in her hand. "It's magic."

Leo's eyes were wide open. "Magic? How?"

Sam took the ball from Andy, who was smiling down at them. "You have to bounce it first. Here try it," he said, handing the ball over.

Leo bounced it twice and looked at Sam. "Like this?"

"Yup. Now, hold on to it really tight." Sam stood up and got behind Leo. "The ball makes you fly," he continued, lifting him high in the air toward the basket. "Now throw it."

Andy watched as Sam held the boy securely by his waist and Leo's little hands threw the ball into the basket. "Score!" she screamed, clapping.

Sam put Leo down and he began jumping up and down. "Again! Again!" Sam and Leo continued playing with the "magic" ball as Andy stood back and retrieved it every time Leo got a basket. She loved seeing this side of Sam and couldn't help but smile. They eventually played a short two-on-one game with Andy and Leo going against Sam, but Leo quickly got bored and Andy was pretty sure every one of Sam's attempts to block the ball was really just an excuse to get frisky with her.

She slapped his hand away for the last time and held the ball under her arm. "Leo, do you want to play in the playground?" she asked.

"Yeah!"

They left the basketball courts and walked over to the massive newly constructed playground. As Leo began running towards it, Andy yelled out to him. "Leo! We'll be right over here watching you." She and Sam sat on one of the many benches that surrounded the playground.

Sam threw his arm around Andy's shoulders and stared at her as she watched Leo run around and make new friends. "You were good with him, coming up with the magic ball," Andy said, not taking her eyes off of the boy.

"Eh, it was nothing. Couldn't let him be bummed after he was so excited to play basketball with you," he replied.

Andy leaned back and into Sam. "Thanks for letting me spring this on you. You know, taking care of Leo today."

"They're both our friends, Andy. I'm happy to help," he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Hey, what was Nash talking about earlier about something being good practice?"

He watched her face become flush as she glanced back at him. "Oh nothing, just Trace being Trace."

"Uh huh." Sam wasn't convinced.

Andy found an escape when she watched Leo make his way over to the swings. "I'm gonna go push Leo on the swings." She got up and walked over to Leo.

He followed her with his eyes, ponytail bouncing as she pushed Leo high on the swings. A huge grin was on Leo's face and Sam could hear screams of delight across the playground. When Leo tired of the swings, Sam watched from the sidelines as Andy ran around the playground following Leo. He had her climbing up a small rock wall, sliding down the slide and even hanging off the monkey bars with him.

Leo decided he wanted to climb the small plastic structure that Andy assumed was meant to be a castle. She might be short, but there was no way she was fitting in that cramped space. "You go ahead," she told Leo. "I'm gonna sit on the swings right here." She backed up and sat down on the swing, remembering all the times her dad took her to the playground as a kid. She was lost in thought and didn't notice Sam approach her from behind. She jumped when he grabbed the metal chains of the swing.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

"Hey," she said, looking up at him. "Thinking about when my dad would take me to the park when I was little."

"I can just imagine a little McNally running around causing trouble," he teased, as he pulled her swing back and gave a little push.

"Well, you know if I ever saw you on the playground _little McNally_ would've had to tackle little Swarek," she quipped.

Sam chucked as he gave her another push. "You do have a thing for tackling me," he smiled. Andy tilted her head back so she could see Sam and he stopped the swing when it floated back toward him. He leaned down, kissing her upside down. Andy smiled into his lips.

"We should get going. It's getting late," she said when they parted. Sam nodded and called out to Leo.

When they got back to the condo, Leo watched cartoons while Andy and Sam made dinner. After eating, Andy gave Leo a bath and got him in his pajamas. "Can we play a game?" Leo asked.

"Sure, but I'm not sure what games I have around here," she said.

"S'ok, I brought Chutes and Ladders with me!" He ran over to the duffel bag that held some toys in it and pulled out the box containing the game.

"Let's get it set up on the coffee table, okay?"

For the next two hours they played a couple games before Andy noticed Leo's drooping eyes. She looked at Sam and nodded toward Leo. "Hey buddy, how about we get you to bed?" she asked. They could tell Leo wanted to fight them but he was too tired to argue. Andy stood up and he grabbed her hand and followed her to the guest bedroom. Andy sat with him on the bed reading a story as Sam leaned against the doorframe watching them. He imagined her reading to their son or daughter someday and the thought made him smile.

Halfway through the story, Leo was fast asleep. Andy quietly slid off the bed, placing his book on the night table and shutting off the lamp. A small nightlight illuminated the room in a soft glow and Andy glanced back at Leo as she joined Sam at the door. Sam shut the door as they walked into the hallway.

"He's a good kid," Sam said as they headed to the living room to clean up.

"He always has been. I remember the first time Traci told me about him while we were in the academy. She was so scared people would judge her. But if anything, I thought they'd only realize how great she was for raising such a good kid," Andy said as she put Leo's game away.

Sam brought some dirty dishes into the kitchen and Andy was silent until he returned. "I guess in a way, we bonded over people judging us. She was judged by strangers and high school classmates for having a baby so young. And I was judged before people even met me because of my last name," she said, referring to the not-so-great legacy her father left her with when he retired.

Sam walked over and circled his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. "Not everyone judges you because of how Tommy's career ended," he said, his breath tickling her ear.

"I know. But I always feel like I have something to prove. Like I need to show that not all McNally's are screw-ups" she said, leaning her head back on his shoulder.

Sam kissed her temple. There was no arguing with her. He knew Andy would always try to make up for the mistakes of her father. When Andy yawned, Sam smiled and placed another kiss on her head. "Go to bed. I'll finish cleaning up and join you in a few minutes."

Andy closed her eyes and nodded. She was tired from running around with Leo all day. "Okay, don't be long," she said, turning around in his arms. She placed a kiss on his lips before pulling away and walking down the hallway.

Andy was lying on her side in bed facing Sam's empty side of the bed when he walked in. He trailed his fingers lightly over her arm before walking over to his dresser and pulling out pajamas.

"It's still early. I shouldn't be this tired, practically passed out on the bed," she whined.

"Leo's a handful. A good kid, but he's got lots of energy," he replied.

"Yeah."

"I guess it's good practice though," he said.

Andy quickly flipped onto her back and stared at Sam.

"What?" he asked, seeing her shocked expression as he made his way over to his side of the bed.

"It's just, um, Traci said that exact thing today," she replied.

"That's the good practice she was talking about?"

Andy nodded as Sam sat down on the bed. He didn't seem nearly as nervous as Andy was with this conversation. She didn't have the best role models as parents and while she knew how to be "Aunt Andy," being a mom was totally different. And then of course was the fact that this was her and Sam talking about children. Her. Sam. Kids. She took a deep breath to prevent herself from hyperventilating at the thought.

"Do you ever, I mean, have you ever thought, you know, about kids?" she finally managed to get out.

"Sure. I love kids," he said as he laid on his side, propping himself on his elbow so he could look at her. He was going to say more, but at the moment he was more entertained by the expressions flashing across her face. Staring up at the ceiling, Andy's eyes flew wide open briefly before she furrowed her eyebrows like she was deep in thought. A moment later she was nervously biting her bottom lip, but he could also see the beginnings of a smile trying to surface.

She rolled onto her side to look at him. "Do you want kids?" she asked softly.

"Someday. You?"

"Not sure if I'm mother material, but yeah, I guess."

"Andy, you're great with Leo, with Oliver's kids. You'll be a great mom someday," Sam said, his knuckles brushing across her cheek before he cupped it with his palm. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"And it would be fun, someday, to see what our kids might look like," he said, knowing he was stepping into possibly dangerous territory.

Andy giggled at the thought and her lips curved into a smile. "Me too," she said sheepishly.

Sam leaned in toward Andy, nuzzling her nose with his briefly before placing light kisses on her nose, forehead and lips. "You know, watching Leo is one kind of practice," he said between kisses. "But I can think of something else we could practice." He pulled back so she could see him waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Andy slapped his chest playfully, but quickly pulled him closer and brought her lips to his.

Kids. Sam. Her. It wasn't so scary anymore. Maybe the universe's plan for her wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

The End


End file.
